Pant-type absorbent articles resemble ordinary underwear and include a pant-shaped chassis and an absorbent core component integrated with the chassis. They are intended to fit comfortably and snugly about the wearer. It is further desirable that the articles are capable of being pulled up and down over the hips of the wearer to allow the wearer or caregiver to easily put on and remove the article when it has been soiled. There is also a requirement that they should be soft and textile-like.
Pant-type absorbent articles, in which portions of the chassis are composed of an elastic laminate comprising first and second layers of fibrous material and an elastic film layer located there between, are known through for example WO 2005/122985. Such pant-type articles are smooth and discrete to wear.
Since such articles are disposable products, the cost aspect is very important. For cost reasons, the material layers included in the article must be as thin as possible. At the same time, quality and strength requirements must be fulfilled. More particularly, such articles must combine properties of comfort and good fit for the user with strength, such that the article is comfortable and discrete to wear, yet its integrity must be maintained when it is put on and during use. The pant article is exposed to considerable stresses especially when being put on. Those regions which are most subject to stress and where failure is most likely to occur, are those regions in which the components of the article are joined together, i.e. the seams of the article and especially the side seams joining the front at back portions. These side seams are commonly formed by ultrasonic welding, thermobonding or gluing or a combination thereof. The pant article is stretched when being pulled over the user's hips, wherein the side seams are exposed to great stresses. Pant-type absorbent articles having front and back portions of elastic laminate, wherein the side seams are formed by bonding two elastic laminates together often have an insufficient bond strength for the stresses occurring during use of the article. The problem has been accentuated as the trend is going to thinner and softer elastic laminates. The side seams may either be formed by superposing the inner surfaces of the lateral edge portions of the front and back portions, wherein the side seams will protrude from the plane of the elastic laminate or alternatively by joining the inner surface of one lateral edge portion to the outer surface of the other lateral portion in an overlapping manner, wherein the side seams will be in the same plane as the elastic laminate.
WO 2007/138373 discloses a pant-type absorbent article comprising an elastic laminate and wherein the weld seams are reinforced by reinforcing strips of nonwoven material applied on the inner surface of the elastic laminate.
WO 2007/094706 discloses a pant-type absorbent article comprising an elastic laminate and wherein the weld seams are reinforced by spraying fibers in a softened state onto at least one of the web materials in the seam prior to bonding.
WO 2013/167170 discloses reinforcing the side seams in a pant-type absorbent article comprising an elastic laminate by folding a nonwoven layer of the lateral side portions upon itself in the area of the side seam to provide an additional layer in the side seam.